MEN'S VOLLEYBALL WRAPS UP GNAC SCHEDULE WITH 3-0 WIN OVER ALBERTUS MAGNUS
April 4, 2012
The Emmanuel College men's volleyball team completed its regular season Great Northeast Athletic Conference schedule with an impressive 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-15) victory over Albertus Magnus College Wednesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center gymnasium. With the victory, the Saints who received eight votes in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll improve to 14-9 overall and 12-2 in GNAC play to secure the \#2 seed and a first-round bye in next week's conference tournament. The win is also the team's eighth in a row and during the streak, EC has not dropped a single set while the Falcons drop to 17-7 and 5-7 in GNAC play.
In the opening set, the Saints raced out to a 12-8 lead following an ace by senior defensive specialist Tim Ramistella (Westport, Conn.). Back-to-back service aces by Ramistella would push EC's lead to 15-8 as the hosts would cruise to a 25-13 first set win.
The Falcons opened the second set strong, jumping out to a 1-0 lead following a kill by sophomore outside hitter Chris Pfeffer (Torrington, Conn.). Sophomore Douglas DeSousa (Danbury, Conn.) would slam home a kill for Albertus to make it 2-2 but the Saints would rattle off the next three points capped by a block by senior middle hitter Alexander Petty (Wayland, Mass.) to take control of the set. A kill by junior setter Nick Updike put EC on top 15-6 forcing the Falcons to use a timeout but the Saints continue to push as freshman outside hitter Zach Whitermore (Whitehall, Pa.) rolled off back-to-back aces to make it a 20-7 lead in favor of the Saints. Updike would rattle off an ace of his own to put the hosts at set point before senior outside hitter Mike Mottola (Quincy, Mass.) pounded home a winner to end the set, 25-10.
Emmanuel never trailed in the final set as senior middle hitter Tom McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) set the tone with a monster kill to open the action. DeSousa would collect a kill to even the score at 2-2 before the Saints went on an 8-1 run, capped by a kill from freshman rightside hitter Ryan Kessler (Santa Clarita, Calif.) to make it 10-3 before Albertus would exhaust a timeout to stop the run. Back-to-back kills by freshman outside hitter Glenn Johnson (Newington, Conn.) pulled the Falcons to within a 12-6 score but the Saints offensive was too much for the visitors as the hosts would coast to the 25-15 win and 3-0 sweep.
McCaffrey finished the night with a match-high eight kills on eight attempts while Kessler chipped in with seven kills. Updike dished out 26 assists in the win to go with game-highs in aces (4) and digs (7).
For Albertus, Pfeffer led the way with a team-best six kills while sophomore setter Carlos Torres (Maspeth, N.Y.) ran the offensive show for the final two sets, dishing out 12 assists to go along with three kills in the effort. The Falcons were without starting freshman Chase Brinton (Bethany, Conn.) for most of the match after the outsider hitter went down early in the opening set with an ankle injury.
The Saints will return to action on Friday when they head across the river to Cambridge, Mass. to compete in the 2012 MIT Scramble. EC will face off against #8 Medaille at 4:30 PM and then compete again at 7:00 PM against Southern Vermont. The Falcons are back in action on Saturday when they host Wentworth and Johnson & Wales in a pivotal GNAC tri-match that will determine the 3-6 seeding in the GNAC tourney.
Prior to the start of the match, the Emmanuel Athletic Department took a moment to honor and recognize its four seniors in McCaffrey, Mottola, Petty and Ramistella in their final regular season home game. Over their careers with the Saints, these four individuals have been a part of 88 total wins and helped EC reach the program's highest national ranking of #12 in the AVCA poll earlier this season. The EC Athletic Department would again like to congratulate and thank Tom, Mike, Alex and Tim for their commitment and dedication to the Men's Volleyball program over their EC careers!